Cars that shouldn't be good/fun but are!
Discussion
An A reg Suzuki SJ410 with 44 bhp which I had as a student in late 90s. Most of those 44 horses had already bolted, it had no electrics, it had no radio, I had to tie the backrest of the rear bench seat to the base with a rope as one side had broken off, it was very agricultural and basic, but it was bloody good fun!
I just got back from holiday where I rented a Dacia Sandero and then a Toyota Ago.
The Dacia was horrible. Dull to drive, crap steering, horrible interior. The only positives were a decent boot and good mpg.
The Toyota Aygo was brilliant. Great little engine that loved to rev and actual felt quite quick. Good steering, gearbox and brakes. It all felt very light and made you want to drive it hard. I really was surprised how good it was.
The Dacia was horrible. Dull to drive, crap steering, horrible interior. The only positives were a decent boot and good mpg.
The Toyota Aygo was brilliant. Great little engine that loved to rev and actual felt quite quick. Good steering, gearbox and brakes. It all felt very light and made you want to drive it hard. I really was surprised how good it was.
That's right guys, it is so surprising that anything that isn't the size of a house with the power of a Moon rocket and enough equipment to keep NASA happy isn't totally boring.
Meanwhile, back in the land of car enthusiasts who actually like driving:
KA Mk1
Awesome dodgem of a car, the extremities are round and made of rubber. Once you get this you just go. No worrying about where that bollard is, no worrying about that tight parking space. The engine isn't actually that small when you consider the size of car it powers. We test drove several cars and this stood out for one reason, it was fun.
Skoda 130 rapid
Everyone laughed at these but rear wheel drive and a rear engine made for easy power slides ever with only 60bhp. Get it right and it worked, a little drift at the corner as you headed out to the next bend. Get it wrong and you'd be in the ditch. If you were in a race you probably wouldn't win but if it was just you on a moorland road you'd love it.
Meanwhile, back in the land of car enthusiasts who actually like driving:
KA Mk1
Awesome dodgem of a car, the extremities are round and made of rubber. Once you get this you just go. No worrying about where that bollard is, no worrying about that tight parking space. The engine isn't actually that small when you consider the size of car it powers. We test drove several cars and this stood out for one reason, it was fun.
Skoda 130 rapid
Everyone laughed at these but rear wheel drive and a rear engine made for easy power slides ever with only 60bhp. Get it right and it worked, a little drift at the corner as you headed out to the next bend. Get it wrong and you'd be in the ditch. If you were in a race you probably wouldn't win but if it was just you on a moorland road you'd love it.
V12 Virgin said:
lufbramatt said:
V12 Virgin said:
lufbramatt said:
Similar sort of car to the Up!, I recently bought a 2013 Honda Jazz off my dad as I needed to replace my elderly Passat with something vaguely practical yet frugal for commuting, he offered it to me for a very good price as he wanted an estate car, so I jumped at it, although it would never have been my first choice if I was given free reign.
Spec is just right, leccy windows and aircon, USB socket on the stereo, cruise control and that's it, no fancy sat nav etc.
The little 1.4 16v Vtec lump is smooth and revvy, although it has pretty much no low down torque. Brakes are good and surprisingly little body roll. Also amazed at how much grip the relatively narrow tyres generate although the steering is a bit light compared to older cars I normally drive with hydraulic PAS. Had quite a laugh on my B-road alternative route home last night. Don't understand why it has such a granddad reputation in this country? It's miles better than a corsa/fiesta and you can fit loads of stuff in it.
I'm sorry but you can't seriously be saying that a jazz drives better than a fiesta? Utter nonsenseSpec is just right, leccy windows and aircon, USB socket on the stereo, cruise control and that's it, no fancy sat nav etc.
The little 1.4 16v Vtec lump is smooth and revvy, although it has pretty much no low down torque. Brakes are good and surprisingly little body roll. Also amazed at how much grip the relatively narrow tyres generate although the steering is a bit light compared to older cars I normally drive with hydraulic PAS. Had quite a laugh on my B-road alternative route home last night. Don't understand why it has such a granddad reputation in this country? It's miles better than a corsa/fiesta and you can fit loads of stuff in it.
Edited by lufbramatt on Thursday 23 March 13:07
t- but the Mk6 and 7 are far superior cars. That jizz mobile is an abomination; I don't think I've ever seen one driven well. 
cymtriks said:
Skoda 130 rapid
Everyone laughed at these but rear wheel drive and a rear engine made for easy power slides ever with only 60bhp. Get it right and it worked, a little drift at the corner as you headed out to the next bend. Get it wrong and you'd be in the ditch.[b] If you were in a race you probably wouldn't win but if it was just you on a moorland road you'd love it./b]
Aside from all the rally wins. Everyone laughed at these but rear wheel drive and a rear engine made for easy power slides ever with only 60bhp. Get it right and it worked, a little drift at the corner as you headed out to the next bend. Get it wrong and you'd be in the ditch.[b] If you were in a race you probably wouldn't win but if it was just you on a moorland road you'd love it./b]
Hired a mk 1 Ka on the Isle of Man when over for the TT a few years back. It was surprisingly good and well suited for the B roads over there.
On a subsequent visit I got a Chevrolet Matiz. It wasn't as bad as I expected, and it didn't like hills much especially if the a/c was on, but not a patch on the Ka.
My sister years back owned a K11 Micra 1.0 litre, it was quite good fun.
On a subsequent visit I got a Chevrolet Matiz. It wasn't as bad as I expected, and it didn't like hills much especially if the a/c was on, but not a patch on the Ka.
My sister years back owned a K11 Micra 1.0 litre, it was quite good fun.
I had a motability Jazz Si (GG6) and it was a sprightly wee thing, very chuckable and nice, safe predictable handling.
Some people really need to get over their prejudices.
Many moons ago I drove an Acty. Had a massive grin on my face every time I was in it. A mid-engined, rear-wheel drive two-seater. What's not to like??
Some people really need to get over their prejudices.
Many moons ago I drove an Acty. Had a massive grin on my face every time I was in it. A mid-engined, rear-wheel drive two-seater. What's not to like??
mp3manager said:
I had a motability Jazz Si (GG6) and it was a sprightly wee thing, very chuckable and nice, safe predictable handling.
Some people really need to get over their prejudices.
Many moons ago I drove an Acty. Had a massive grin on my face every time I was in it. A mid-engined, rear-wheel drive two-seater. What's not to like??
That needs a sports bike engine in it Some people really need to get over their prejudices.
Many moons ago I drove an Acty. Had a massive grin on my face every time I was in it. A mid-engined, rear-wheel drive two-seater. What's not to like??
I always thought the original 107/C1/Aygo triplets were decent, you wouldn't expect much from a 3-pot 1.0 litre from the mid 2000's but they are quite nifty little machines and good fun. Same could be said about the original Ford Ka.
I also thought the Land Rover Defender was a fun drive, not because it was fast or nimble or a B-road blaster, more because it was the total opposite of those things. Sometimes a car can be so awful or awkward to drive it actually becomes fun.
I also thought the Land Rover Defender was a fun drive, not because it was fast or nimble or a B-road blaster, more because it was the total opposite of those things. Sometimes a car can be so awful or awkward to drive it actually becomes fun.
There was a call for a police supervisor to a location on the Downs when there was a fair bit of snow. There were accidents all over and all patrol cars were being used. The only keys I could find was for an unmarked Maestro 1.3. Needs must, and off I went.
I was in a hurry, the roads were slippery, there was little traffic as it was the wee smalls.
It was tremendous fun. One road was blocked and I had to make a detour across footways. It wasn't fast but slides were the norm.
I was in a hurry, the roads were slippery, there was little traffic as it was the wee smalls.
It was tremendous fun. One road was blocked and I had to make a detour across footways. It wasn't fast but slides were the norm.
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